MARS reduces EU yield forecasts - hot and dry start into summer The Commission's agrarian meteorological institute (MARS) has evaluated the most recent climatic data in the period from 1 May to 30 June 2017 with regard to its impact on yields. The characteristic feature of this year's weather was unusually high temperatures And too little precipitation. The Individual EU cultivation areas But were affected differently. The largest loss of earnings due to drought had to be accepted by large parts of Spain . The wheat yields are 2.57 t / ha approx. 27% below the previous year's high level . In comparison , the reduction is still -16%.A heat wave has affected all of France and neighboring areas in the north-west European region in the cereal bloom and grain formation phase. The French wheat yields MARS to -4.4% lower than the 5-year average. Compared to the catastrophic previous year with flooding, the results are, however, 25% higher. For France, therefore, the harvest will remain considerably below the average. For Germany too, the wheat yields are classified by -2.7% against the perennial average.Too little rain has fallen in the areas of the Czech Republic and Hungary . The Czech Corn harvest is severely affected. In the case of wheat, crop losses of 13% are expected compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria are significantly lower than the long-term average of + 11 and + 17% respectively. However, this year's corn harvest can not compete with a record year 2016.In Southern Russia and the Ukraine , drought also contributed to a significant drop in earnings. In both Black Sea countries the harvest expectations are significantly lower than in the previous year. The Russian harvest is estimated to be less than 100 million tonnes. Wheat prices have risen steadily in recent weeks, despite the low-rated rubles. All in all, the high temperatures and the low rainfall have pushed harvesting potential in Europe strongly. This is expected to continue the tight EU supply situation of the past year.
